As 2022 draws to a close and we ready ourselves for the festive season it’s time to swop our office wear for beach wear and take a much-needed break from a year that has brought many changes.
2022 has brought us closer to normality as we wrap our heads around a post-Covid life. People are moving back to the office which means saying goodbye to leisure wear and once again a welcome hello to fashionable streetwear as well as the rise in luxury fashion.
The fashion industry is once again thriving and live fashion shows are back, bringing out the fashion-forward celebrities as well as unforgettable fashion moments.
We look back at designers and celebrities who made an impact on the fashion scene this past year.
Rihanna re-defined maternity wear
From the moment Rihanna made her pregnancy announcement in January wearing a vintage bubblegum-pink Chanel puffer, unbuttoned to show off her baby bump, we knew that her style was going to change how we look at maternity wear.
“I’m hoping that we were able to redefine what’s considered ‘decent’ for pregnant women,” she told Vogue, appearing on its May 2022 cover in a lacy Alaïa catsuit.
“My body is doing incredible things right now, and I’m not going to be ashamed of that. This time should feel celebratory. Because why should you be hiding your pregnancy?”
During the months leading up to giving birth to a baby boy in May, the singer showed off her changing body and growing bump in many iconic and certainly unforgettable outfits.
Quite possibly one of her most controversial outfits was the one she wore to the Dior Womenswear fashion show during Paris Fashion week in March.
The businesswoman wore a sheer black dress over black lace lingerie with a long black leather coat draped over her. She completed the sexy look with a pair of knee-high patent leather boots. Her outfit left very little to the imagination.
The Valentino Pierpaolo Piccioli pink takeover
When Pierpaolo Piccioli showcased the autumn/winter 2022 Valentino collection at Paris Fashion Week earlier this year, we were blown away by the collection that was entirely pink (with a few black pieces in between): 48 out of 81 looks were a head-to-toe bright fuchsia shade dubbed PP Pink.
While the setting and the flood of pink sound overwhelming, it did allow us to actually look at the details of each garment without distractions.
While the show and the collection were certainly impactful, the colour became a firm favourite at all red carpet-events.
From the Oscar Awards to the Met Gala, one could spot a Valentino gown a mile away.
We saw the distinct pink hit the red carpet nine times during the Cannes Festival.
Just to name a few there was Anne Hathaway in a jumpsuit, Aishwarya Rai in an oversized pants suit, Katherine Langford wore a long dramatic cape dress, Naomi Campbell dazzled in a body-hugging gown while Elsa Hosk wore a dramatic voluminous satin gown.
While the distinct colour was undoubtedly the “it” colour for 2022, we’re hoping to see the back of pink in 2023.
Balenciaga cancelled
Luxury fashion house Balenciaga and controversy go hand in hand as they constantly push the boundaries of what’s perceived as fashion. Leaving even the most fashion-forward consumer baffled. From the black trashbag tote to the Lays chips clutch bag, they have turned what most people would consider to be fashion garbage into designer must-haves.
While most fashionistas could somehow wrap their heads around the social commentary creative director Demna Gvasalia intended to make through his pieces, their latest advertising campaign has officially gone too far and has led to the instant decline and cancellation of the brand.
Their latest advertising campaign, which has since been taken down, featured two young girls wearing Balenciaga clothes holding stuffed fluffy teddy bears dressed in bondage-looking gear.
The visuals caused obvious public outrage especially since one of them images what appears to be an excerpt from a US Supreme Court case that upheld part of a federal child pornography law.
Now even the brand’s most loyal customers have turned their back on them and are now boycotting the brand by destroying any garments from the luxury fashion label they own. Even their stores are now empty as buyers refuse to even enter their stores.
Vegan fashion on the rise
With a greater understanding of the environmental impact of fast fashion, there’s now a greater need and demand for sustainable fashion options. While thrift-shopping is all good and well, it’s not the answer to animal cruelty that comes with the production of many clothing items.
This year more than ever we’ve seen rapid growth in vegan fashion as an extension of sustainability in the fashion industry.
Many people have chosen a vegan lifestyle and vegan fashion is a natural extension of this lifestyle choice.
“Vegan fashion is the future of fashion and sustainable design, as it involves an ethical, conscious approach to material innovation. Far too often, progress in design is to the detriment of nature. Ethical material innovation is the way forward. I'm fascinated by alternative cruelty-free fabric developments and the creativity of biomimicry”, said South African fashion designer Lara Klawikowski.
As the vegan fashion trend continues to become more popular, stylish vegan items are starting to appear like vegan clothing, vegan footwear and even vegan accessories. Many luxury brands are designing exclusive vegan collections.
McCartney released the first-ever wearable garments, a bustier and trousers, made with Mylo - a mycelium-based mushroom leather. Hermès, the luxury brand best known for its sought-after Birkin bags, has ventured into vegan territory with its Victoria bag. The Kering group, owners of brands like Gucci, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen, have partnered with Bolt Threads as well which means we can expect a line of vegan leather products from these luxury brands in the near future.